Follow Me to the Northern Lights
by tonks-quinn57
Summary: A Quil and Claire fanfic. When Claire is seventeen, she and Quil finally get together. This is just a story that shows what happens between them. Drama, romance, and a little bit of everything else mixed in. Please R&R! Back in updating!
1. Ignorance

**Hey everybody! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas with lots of goodies! I know I did. :) Well anyway, I decided to write a Quil and Claire fanfic, since I've been reading them like crazy. I hope you all like! And PLEAE REVIEW! They are what tell me whether you like it or not and what I could do to change it! My job is to please! **

**ANY CHARACTERS THAT SOUND FAMILIAR IN ANY WAY BELONG TO THE GREAT STEPHENIE MEYER! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**tonks-quinn57**

Chapter 1: Ignorance (Paramore)

Today was one of the best days up here in normally rainy La Push. Warm, sunny, bright, and just full of life. Unfortunately I promised Aunt Em I would leave this wonderful summer day on the beach to go help prepare for Uncle Sam's birthday. I always loved to go to the beach and just read or swim whenever there were days like today.

I walked over to my lime green Punch Buggy and drove down the main road, passing the trees and the wonderful cloudless blue sky, along the way. I reached Em's cute little cottage. It was such an adorable white house with green shutters. It was two stories high and very cuddly, yet spacious.

I drove my car in the garage to see that the backyard was a complete mess with my brother, Dmitri's toys scattered everywhere. I sighed and started to clean the mess because Dmitri was "too young" to pick up after himself. Typical.

Ugh, he's so spoiled! Why was his whole life revolving around making me miserable while he tries to show himself off? I thought this while I picked up a Lego play set and put it in the garage. I was finally done putting the last toy in the bin when I heard voices coming from inside. I walked quietly to the back door.

"…But I love her and she needs to know what's happening! I'm surprised she hasn't had too many suspicions yet. This can only go on for so long, you know!"

"Look. Claire will find out soon enough….when she's ready."

I looked through the glass door as I heard my name. I barely made out Quil and Sam in the kitchen. They looked extremely angry. What are they talking about?

"But she is READY!" exclaimed Quil, raising his voice. Don't push it Quil, I thought.

Quil has been friends with Sam for a long time. Ever since I was two and even before then. I didn't know exactly how or why, but Quil started babysitting me when Sam and Em had to go out and do errands. My parents too were always busy…back when they were alive. But he never seemed troubled by me, and we soon formed a close relationship. He's always been there for me. Birthdays, first time of month (tampax runs), first bike ride, etc. A perfect friend, play mate, and biggy packer.

He has gorgeous shaggy black hair, very tanned skin, and is a huge body builder. I mean if you saw him you'd notice his 6' 6" tall body and gazillion ab muscles, straight away. My very own life-size stuffed teddy bear.

"Quil," sighed Sam. " I will not argue with you. I'm her legal guardian and I want what's best for her."

"And you don't think I do? She will end up suspicious and start asking questions! Then what happens when I can't answer?"

What are they keeping from me? I'm not suspicious of anything… I think. Well there are those times when he looks way younger than he is. Also he's always warm. I mean REALLY warm, like my own sauna. But that doesn't have to with anything, right? I leaned in to see what the heck they were talking about.

"You'll tell her you can't say. Alpha rules. End of discussion. Now go wait for Claire to get home."

Quil nodded firmly, and started walking towards me. Oh no. I sprinted down the walk, turned just in time to see Quil slam the door and jump off the steps. He saw me walking slowly towards him and he smiled, but not his usual goofy one. More forced.

"You okay?" I whispered. My voice was rusty from fear. So much for trying to sound normal.

Quil looked down at his Reeboks, not saying anything. I didn't think he would respond before he said, "Yeah. Sam and I just got into a little argument that's all."

"What was is about?" I asked, trying to get more information, but of course, stubborn as always, he decided not to explain.

"Nothing you have to worry about," he lied. "Anyway, let's go inside. Emily is still grocery shopping, but I'm sure we can find something to do." He grinned at this last comment, and I couldn't help but smile back.

I'd let this go for now, but I'm going to bring it back up. I grabbed his hand, entwining my fingers with his as we walked into the kitchen. This was normal for him, but I couldn't help but think that this was a bigger sign. He told me he loved me once, but as if I was his sister. I know it's wrong to love a guy who's at least ten years older than I am, but I can't help it. I am in love with him. I've been in love with him for like two months, but he's been really busy so I haven't hung out with him in a while.

As Sam appeared he mentioned, "Before you say anything, I'm leaving right now and I didn't see anything, so don't tell Em I was here."

He smirked and I nodded, smiling. He hugged me and whispered, "Stay safe while I'm gone all right? We all know Quil is too wimpish."

I laughed as I heard Quil growl behind me. Sam winked and then ran out the door, shirtless. Crazy.

"One day that idiot's gonna get it," grumbled Quil.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Happy birthdayyyy dear Sammm! Happy birthday to youuu!"

We all burst into applaud and whistled. I was absolutely exhausted from working on the food for five hours straight – Aunt Emily can get a little crazy when she wants everything to be absolutely perfect. I walked into the living room after singing and lay down on the couch. I sighed, content with the extra soft cushions. If I can just sleep for a few… "Claire get up!" I growled.

"Embry, go away!"

I heard him chuckle and lift me into his arms as he started twirling me around, very fast.

"Embry! STOP! You're making me sick!" I screamed, a little too loudly. He immediately put me down and pulled me into a large bear hug. I breathed in deeply, waiting for the dizziness to clear.

"Sorry Clairedy-cat. I didn't mean to," he apologized.

"It's fine, Embry. I just am really tired and slow today," I said, feeling a little guilty for yelling.

Quil zoomed right into the room and sighed when he saw that everything was okay.

"Embry stop trying to kill Claire! GOD!"

I jumped into his arms and rested my head on his shoulders. Quil easily returned the hug and pulled us over to the couch. I sat on his lap as he turned on the T.V., Embry sitting next us.

I instantly started to think about my feelings for Quil and then everything was silent except for the low volume on the T.V. I was sleepy, but I was too aware of my head on his shoulders, his hand tracing patterns on my arms, and his even breathing. Everything is becoming more noticeable. I couldn't help but feel awkward that my feelings were towards such an older guy– at least ten years difference.

I stiffened, staring blankly at the T.V. Two guys were dancing around crazily and it make Embry chuckle, but I didn't getting the joke. I wasn't really paying attention.

"Claire? Are you okay?" I heard Quil whisper in my ear.

I jerked instantly away, surprised by his breath tickling my ear. I blinked and jumped out of his arms. His expression went from shock to concern.

"Claire." He said in a stern voice.

" I, uh just need some fresh air," I mumbled. Great explanation, Claire. He won't suspect a thing, I thought sarcastically. But before I could come up with a better one, I zoomed out of the room, through the kitchen and to the back door.

"Claire! You want more cake?" It was Seth, no doubt. I just shook my head and left, desperate for an escape.

I walked as fast as I could and headed to the forest beyond the house, into the darkness.

Why can't it just be like it used to? Back when I didn't feel strange? It's just so wrong now! It normally isn't such a bad thing. For years I've read books of when girls fall in love with way older guys, but it all ends well. They turn out gay, they die because they're a vampire (like in Look For Me By Moonlight), or its unrequited love. But my situation is not written, not to mention I hated those books because of how oblivious and stupid the girls were. Can't they know that this cliché topic is bound to have a flaw and never end up working? Then why am I caught into it? Seriously! What do you do when you fall in love with you're best friend who is amazingly gorgeous and way to old for you? After my mind keeps telling me this is stupid and typical, my heart wants me to be wrong and is stupidly persuaded into thinking Quil loves me back. Knowing it's wrong, but hoping it isn't.

Aware of how deep into the forest I was, I found a log to sit down on. I was frustrated, sad, confused, and so many other things. I was fuming and plopped down, my head resting in my open hands. I let out a little scream to clear the tension that was bubbling up inside of me.

I felt someone slowly sit besides me. I knew it was Quil. I built up the breath to explain, but as I looked up I saw Embry instead. He had a sad expression as if I'd just explained everything and he understood what I was struggling with.

"Hey," he said calmly.

"Hi," I replied blandly.

"You want to talk about it?" I know he wanted to know, but he wouldn't pester if I didn't feel in the talking mood. One of the many positive things about Embry.

"Yes," I sighed. This was, in fact true. Just wanted to spill the beans, but it just wasn't that easy to tell. How do I explain how I feel without getting the oh-god-she's-turning-into-a-delusional-teenager face?

There was a long pause and I could see he was waiting for an explanation. I just couldn't find my words.

"Are you going to?" he asked.

"I, uh just…can't," Nope. No words.

"Hey don't sweat it. Whatever it is, you can fix it. Please don't cry." I didn't realize I was crying until I felt Embry's hand touch my cheek to dry the tears that were fully escaping my eyes now. I leaned my head against his shoulders and then curled up into his arms. It was sooo cozy. He was also warm… It was silent; the only noises were my sniffling.

After I was done crying, I stayed in his embracing warmth and whispered, "Thanks, Embry."

"Don't sweat it, kiddo."

We sat in silence for a while, and then I felt myself become limp, exhaustion covering me. I felt Embry carry me into his arms, and carry me back to the house. I wasn't fully asleep and my eyes were closed, but I was still aware of everything. I heard him open the door to the inside, and heard a voice, Quil.

"What happened? Is she okay?" asked Quil with an anxious voice. Why was he scared? I was only gone for a couple minutes…

"It's fine. Chill, man. She's just overwhelmed by some stuff going on. No biggie," replied Embry calmly. I felt a cool breeze and moved into the arms around me for more warmth. I felt myself slipping. I just wanted to be comfortable.

All the voices were muffled and slow, and I felt myself being shifted into someone else's arms before I fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up to voices coming from downstairs. Hmm…

I opened my eyes to see that I was in my room. It was dark and I looked to my right to see 2:37 a.m. in bold green on my alarm clock. Why was anyone up, I asked in my head? I remembered what happened a couple of hours ago, and images of my adventure in the woods occurred in my mind. I heard some muffled yelling, and decided to go down and investigate. Or at least tell them to cool it because I wanted to sleep.

I pulled on my robe and headed for the stairs and slowed down as I approached the steps, listening to the conversation.

"Dammit Sam! Just let me tell her! She's seventeen. _Seventeen!_" It was Quil I knew. I just peeked my head to the side to see Quil looking extremely pissed.

"I SAID WAIT! Okay? I'm tired of this. It'll only be a little while before she's eighteen. Then I'll think about it," responded Sam.

"THINK ABOUT IT?" Quil was going nuts. WHAT are they trying to tell/keep away from me???

"Okay lets just think about this for a second," said Aunt Em, always trying to choose in between, "I think that Quil should decide when. Although I do agree that now's not the time."

Quil was shaking. He looked as if he was ready to explode into pieces. Sam came over and laid a hand on his shoulder, while Em moved away, looking in the opposite direction. I thought something was wrong with Quil so I slowly walked into the room, scared.

"Quil?" was all I said, as Sam looked over at me, worried, and then Quil burst into a big, furry…wolf. He was staring at me as I fell backwards, hitting my head hard on the wooden floor, losing consciousness.


	2. Vanilla Twilight

**Hello again everyone! Well happy New Year's! I'm so pumped to go party and eat! I just wanted to thanks Misslittlepinkbag for helping figure out where this story's going! (Thank you!) And thank you to all those who reviewed! Enjoy!**

**ANY CHARACTERS THAT SOUND FAMILIAR IN ANY WAY BELONG TO THE GREAT STEPHENIE MEYER! :D**

**Tonks-quinn57**

Chapter 2: Vanilla Twilight (Owl City)

I woke up confused and extremely tired. As if I'd just run a marathon and I was suffering from extreme soreness. I saw Emily and Quil looking down at me, worried, and then I remembered last night. When Quil…was…turned into a wolf. Did I imagine that? What DID happen?

Emily saw my confused face, and calmly said, "Yes, Claire. It's true. Look we need to talk, but I want you fully conscious. Are you okay, honey?"

I looked around me and replied, "I'm not sure. Let me just get awake."

I slowly got up into a sitting position and my hand automatically shot to my head. "Ow," I complained.

"Yeah. You hit your head when you fainted…" said Em, looking sympathetic.

I managed a little laugh and said, "Yeah it's always me who gets hurt. I swear all these bruises will make me tougher. I'll soon turn into Popeye."

Emily and Quil chuckled as I got out of the bed. "Whoa," I replied, as I stumbled, almost falling flat on my face. Luckily Quil was there, as his arms wrapped around my waist. I followed Aunt Em as she walked downstairs to the living room, and I sat down when I reached the couches. Quil's arms never left my waist, sending a shock of warmth.

We sat there, in silence for what seemed like hours, but were actually only a couple of minutes. I could see Emily exchanging glances at Quil, who left my side and walked over to the chair opposite me. I saw Quil nod as he gathered his thoughts and said, "So you saw what happened yesterday, right?"

I nodded and he continued, "Well what you saw was true. Do you remember the wolf legends that everyone would talk about at the bonfires?"

I remembered the bonfires, but it had been forever since I'd been there. I didn't exactly remember what they said. "Vaguely," I replied.

Quil sighed, "Well our ancestors are descended from wolves. And everyone you know, like Sam, Embry, Paul, Jared, etc. are all a part of the wolf pack, here in La Push. Our job is to protect our people from the cold ones…" He was looking at me and taking this slow, which I definitely needed. I was very confused, but I just stayed with him.

"Cold ones?" I asked.

He nodded and replied, "You remember the Cullens, right? From your tenth birthday?"

I nodded. I remember that day clearly, although it was seven years ago. I remembered seeing the pale, beautiful faces of the Cullens. They were over to meet me, because Renesmee (the daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen) and Jacob Black were together.

"Well… they're vampires. The cold skin, the pale, beautiful faces. It's how they were made, so they could lure in humans," he said, calmly.

"Do they…do they suck blood?" I stumbled. I didn't know why, but I was terrified at the idea that I'd been so close to a vampire. And I thought the Cullens were friends of this "pack". Man, today was going to be a long day…

"Not human blood, at least. Well, the Cullens don't. But with other vamps, they do," he said, not liking that he had to be the one to explain. He could probably see the fear etched on my face. "And that's where we come in. We protect any humans from getting harmed by vampires," he continued, trying to soften the tension.

"So wolves and vampires are enemies?" I asked and he nodded. "With the exception of the Cullens," he added.

"Let me get this straight," I said, as I reviewed what he just told me, "You, Sam, and basically everyone, are a part of a "wolf pack"." He nodded and I went on, "And you're job is to protect humans from these vampires, who want to, uh, eat humans, basically. Except for the Cullens."

"Except for the Cullens," he repeated, making sure I understood.

"And everything about them, like the pale skin, the coldness, the beautiful faces, are how they were "designed", so they could attract humans?" Another nod.

"Wow," was all I could say as I felt depression settle over me. I didn't have an exact reaction to all this information except that I was a little frightened and sad. I kept waiting for it to sink in, but the worst part was the realization that my life wouldn't be normal. Right now was not the time to find out about this. It had just gotten to the beginning of summer, my time to relax after such a hard year. And next would be senior! Why now?

Emily and Quil looked at me, trying to understand my reaction, which they obviously didn't. Since I didn't really have one yet. But I did feel dread.

"Claire, what are you thinking?" asked Em. An idea came to my mind of what I should do. It was a great idea, but I wished I didn't have to do it. I still wanted time to myself though. It was summer for crying out loud!

"I'm thinking I should go to Hannah's for a day or two... Just to clear my mind and all," I mumbled looking down as I stood up and headed for the stairs.

Hannah was my best friend who lives a couple towns over, in Taholah Washington. She mentioned to me that she would like to hang out with me. I thought this would be a good breather for me.

A hand grabbed mine and pulled me back before I reached the third step. "Wait," Quil said. "What are you doing?"

"This is too much for me to handle right now. I just need to clear my head and the only way to do that is hang out with someone. Away from here." I said this last sentence sternly, and I immediately felt bad. I didn't understand why I was being so mean, but I was really way in over my head.

He sadly let go of my hand and I did hesitate, giving him a sympathetic look, before heading upstairs to my room. Ahh… My room. It was the one place where I felt safe whenever Dmitri was annoying me. Well, I didn't have to worry about that since he was out over at a friend's.

I walked over to my closet on the left wall and gathered clothes for three days and three nights. I didn't really know how long I would be able to stay, but it was best to just pack. After packing, I looked over at my alarm clock, which boldly said 12:43 p.m. My stomach growled and I realized that I hadn't eaten until last night.

I quickly took my cell phone, called Hannah, and let her know that I was coming for a few days. "Okay! Any time! See you soon!" was her response.

I stared at my room for a moment before leaving. I shut the door to my turquoise room with my duffle bad, and went downstairs to the door, grabbing my keys along the way. When my hand grabbed the doorknob, I heard Em say, "Claire. You haven't even had breakfast yet. Don't you want to at least eat something?" I knew she didn't want me to leave, but I just couldn't grip this!

I nodded, "No I'll grab something from the diner. I'm fine. I love you," I said as I kissed her cheek, hoping that would compensate for leaving. I went through the door and shut it as I heard Quil say, "Don't go."

I looked at him. "I won't be long. I'm sorry, but I just need to think things through, and then I'll be fine and come back. Just… please Quil." I could feel tears coming, but I kept them back. I couldn't break down now. Otherwise I wouldn't ever be able to leave his side.

"Claire, there are other ways. Just…just don't go," he pleaded. I felt my heart break a little at the sight of him sad. I didn't understand why he was so torn up, though.

I walked down the porch steps and reached Quil. I jumped on my tippy toes and lightly kissed him on the cheek. After, I hugged him and felt his arms surround me to return the embrace. He was so warm. Was this a part of him being a wolf? I'd ask later, I didn't want to think about the conversation that got me into this mess.

"I'll be back soon," I whispered into his ear. He reluctantly let go and stayed on the steps, watching me as I headed towards the garage and started the car. As I pulled out, I waved quickly to Quil. I didn't bother seeing him wave, as I just wanted to get away from this weirdness.

I turned on my favorite CD, by the All-American Rejects. But when it got to Straightjacket Feeling, I turned it off and just drove in silence. I didn't want to be sad. Who knew how long I could stay at Hannah's? Maybe a week, or more.

I stopped at Rick's diner somewhere in some town that I already forgot the name of. The food wasn't the best, but it was satisfying. Not to mention the coffee was all watery and weak. But, it wasn't a big deal. I had more things to think about, like the conversation I just found out. But I chose not to go there. I just looked out the window at the pouring rain, as I ate my food.

In less than two hours, I reached the coast town of Taholah. I rechecked the address on the post-it note that I wrote down on, directing me to Hannah's house. I reached the driveway and turned off the ignition.

I opened the door to the house and yelled slightly, "Hello? Hannah you there?"

I saw Hannah appear with her curly blond hair tied in a loose bun. "Hi Claire! Oh my gosh! You're so pretty!"

I blushed at her saying I was pretty. I've realized that I'd become more noticeable to guys and girls at my school. It seemed that everyone wanted to become friends with me. A popularity I was soo not used to.

"Thanks! You look beautiful, as always," I pointed out. I smiled. Yes, Hannah was not like me (who thought of things as cliché), but she was very happy, and girly. But that is what I loved about her.

I took off my shoes and raincoat, and put them into the closet. I followed her into the kitchen and the first thing I noticed was that it was only three o'clock, but it felt like it was seven. I looked outside to see the clouds a dark gray.

"Can you believe that it is only three?" I exclaimed.

She nodded in understanding. "I know! It's so depressing when it rains constantly." She sighed.

We sat at the counter in silence for a while before she said, "Well you better get ready! We're going to a party soon! I want you to meet my friends, and we can dance all night long!"

I normally wouldn't be in the mood for socializing, because I was that awkward, but this time I couldn't help but grin. Anything to bring new fresh air.

"All right! Let me just get settled!" I took a deep breath. Now it's time to relax, Claire, I told myself.

* * *

There was a club for teenagers at this place called Rolo's. It was pretty spunky with strobe lights and a mixture of green, blue, red lights. I had to say, I liked it. When Hannah and I entered, we were surrounded by all of her friends.

"Hi, Hannah," said a guy with light sandy hair, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Well, well, well, who's this?" He nodded in my direction.

"Hi, I'm Claire," I said to everyone, with a smile. They were all very nice, but the ones who actually went up and talked to me were a girl named Maggie, Lauren, and a guy named Jordan. Maggie was a strawberry blond with long wavy hair. Lauren was a brunette with a very short, very styled hair. She was the smartest person I'd ever seen, beyond belief. And lastly Jordan was a cute guy, with reddish-brown curly hair.

We danced all evening, talked, and drank soda.

"Yeah there's never anything fun to do around here besides stay here at this old place!" complained Maggie.

"Oh, come on, Maggers. This isn't nearly as bad as some other towns. I mean it seems to me that La Push is way worse," replied Lauren, glancing at me. I nodded in agreement.

"Good thing I have so many cool friends, or I wouldn't have survived all those years," I laughed. Everyone smiled.

In the back round I heard the music change to Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade. Lauren and Maggie automatically looked at Jordan and he blushed as he leaned towards me and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

I smiled, completely surprised but flattered. He took my hand into his very warm one as we walked over to the dance floor, which was completely full of people. It was suffocating, but we made enough room to dance.

"So do you like it here in Taholah?" asked Jordan.

I nodded and replied, "A lot. I should come down here more often. So many cute boys, I can't believe what I'm missing out on." I looked up at him and saw him raise his eyebrows. I was trying to be funny, but I blushed as I realized that I basically meant him.

"I mean, uh…I meant that as a joke and, uh…I'm just not gonna talk about this anymore," I stumbled. I didn't think I could get any redder, but I officially turned as red as a tomato.

But luckily Jordan laughed and said, "I know what you mean, don't worry about it." I smiled gratefully. "But I have to say it's not every day you run into someone as pretty as you are," he continued. Then he blushed and we both dropped our eyes in other directions.

It was awkward as we looked away. And then the song ended and Jordan said, "Well we should probably get back to the table." I nodded in agreement, and he took my hand, once again. This time butterflies flew in my stomach. But then my mind went to Quil. He was the only one who gave me butterflies. I missed him and I'd only been away for a couple hours…

"Claire," I heard. I looked at Jordan who had a look of concern on his face. I immediately got back into reality. Stop it, Claire. You're supposed to relax. That's what you came here for.

"Oh sorry. I was just thinking of something." He nodded as if he understood what I was going through and pulled me towards the tables. We looked around, but saw another group at our table.

"They must've relocated," explained Jordan. I nodded as he led me outside. I was confused why we were going out there, but he quickly said, "I think we should get some fresh air. It's so hot and stuffy inside."

I felt the same way too. I loved dancing, but you had to breathe sometimes. We had a lot of things in common. We went outside and sat on the sidewalk, leaning at the posts holding up the roof. We watched dancers come in and leave.

"So, pop quiz," announced Jordan. "What is your favorite movie of all times."

"Hmm…" I thought as I tried to pick one specific movie. "I really don't have a favorite, but I do love any movies with Michael Cera or Ellen Page. So I think it has to be Juno."

He looked at me and said, "Not a bad choice. That was a good movie. How about bands?"

"Easy, Arctic Monkeys/AAR/The Last Shadow Puppets. I'm kind of in love with a lot of British stuff," I admitted.

"No I know them! Great bands." He shook his head, and smiled. "I'm so amazed that I know someone who knows Arctic Monkeys," he grinned. I smiled back.

It turned silent all of a sudden as he stared at me. And then before I realized it, he was leaning and gently pressing his lips to mine–

"Whoa!" I said as I backed away. "I'm sorry Jordan, but–"

"Claire! What are you doing?" boomed Hannah's voice. I got up and looked up at her. She looked completely surprised. And to tell the truth, so was I.

"I, uh. Nothing," I said all too quickly.

Hannah raised an eyebrow and in a high pitched voice said, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I nodded and power walked/ran away from Jordan. Hannah took my hand and was dragging inside to the girl's bathroom, which was surprisingly empty.

"What happened back there? DID YOU SERIOUSLY KISS JORDAN?" She was going hysterical. Oh my gosh, why was it so bad? Wait, was he already dating someone?

"Well, it wasn't my fault! We were talking and then he just kissed me. I– I don't know what happened," I admitted. I really didn't want to fight with her. But what she said surprised me.

"That's brilliant! I can't believe it! In one night!" she exclaimed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to! I was so unprepared for it. Don't kill me," I begged.

Hannah's eyes just got wider. "What are you talking about? You don't understand. Jordan is probably the cutest guy in all of Taholah and no one, I REPEAT NO ONE, can ever get him to like them! But you! You just walk in here, and for one night you're already kissing him! I thought this would never happen," she exclaimed. "Unbelievable…" she whispered.

She looked at her reflection and then splashed her face with water from the sink. I couldn't help but smile. Am I really that good at attracting guys? But I still didn't feel that way about him. I mean it was one night, and I already felt like I knew everything about him. Only as a friend, though. I mean in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, the movie takes place in one day, but that's unrealistic…

Hannah dried her face and said, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. The only thing is… I like someone else. Jordan's really cool, but I just wanted to be friends. AND this only happened in one night." I looked at her, not knowing what to do.

"Oh," was all she said. But then she added, "That's too bad."

I felt a million times worse. Like I was the one being rejected. But then I just walked out the bathroom and headed back outside where Jordan was sitting. He looked up and saw me.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I'm such an idiot. I don't know what I was thinking," he rushed.

I held up my hand and sat down next to him. "It's okay," I said as I took his hand, hoping he didn't take this move the wrong way. But I felt his hand, which was amazingly warm. "Oh my gosh! You're really hot, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just really warm from the dance."

"Oh, okay." I said. "Anyway, the only thing is, I don't like you that way. I don't even really know you, but you seem like an okay friend," I joked as I poked him in the ribs.

"Okay? You mean awesome? Yeah, I agree." We both smiled.

We talked for a little while longer, and he gave me his cell phone number, while I gave him mine. After a while, Hannah came through the doors and said, "It's time to go, Claire. You ready?"

"Oh yeah." I glanced over at Jordan and gave him a hug as we stood up. He was still warm, which started to worry me. I didn't want him to be sick. "Well I'll text you sometime. See you later."

"Yeah, bye," he said hesitantly. As we approached the darkness of the parking lot, where the streetlights barely shed light, I looked back one more time to see Jordan. Just standing there, watching me fade out of sight. It was heartbreaking.

* * *

We arrived at Hannah's safe and sound. Hannah and I were exhausted and we hit the bed as soon as we got back.

And here I was, in her room on a canopy bed. I stared at her room, memorizing everything. Her extremely huge room, with a master king sized bed. It was extremely organized and so clean. Not like any other ordinary teenager's bedroom. But after all, she had loads of money and could easily afford a maid.

The room was pink, but it wasn't that ugly shade usually found in old homes along with rose petal wallpaper, it was a sweet shade, and fit along with everything. Still wasn't my style that much, but it was definitely fit for her personality.

I stared at the alarm clock on her desk table, which announced that it was 4:51 a.m. I looked through her white drapes and could tell that dawn was coming. I knew that no matter what, I wouldn't be able to sleep because I couldn't help but review all the events that happened just hours before. I thought about calling Quil and letting him know that I was sorry and that I was ready to come back home to him, but he'd been out a lot and I knew he needed sleep. So I decided to resist.

Thinking over the conversation with Aunt Emily, I knew that I was just being dramatic and selfish. I knew that my life never was normal, even from the beginning. I got over it and decided that I would just stay with Hannah for a few more days because I hadn't seen her in a while, but I would then come home, grateful to have everyone and just continue on. I knew that it would all be okay, even if it was weird.

My mind was throbbing from thinking too much and I was desperate for a walk. I decided to put on my Uggs and head over to the beach to just get some fresh air.

The beach was beautiful. Especially when the sky was turning a bright pink along with a hint of blue. I just walked along the edge, but not so close that I would get my boots all muddy. I took in a deep breath and could practically taste the smell of the ocean. The most delightful smell ever.

As I was walking along the edge of the forest to get ready to go back to Hannah, I heard a voice.

"So we finally meet, Claire. I'm so honored to finally meet you in person."

I whirled around to look in the forest, where the voice came from. "Who said that?" I asked. I couldn't find the person who spoke. But then I saw a shadow come closer and came face to face with a pair of bright, crimson red eyes.

I gasped. What was it? But then I saw the pale skin, and the beautiful figure of the man. There was one thing that came to mind. Run. But I couldn't move. I was completely paralyzed as our eyes locked onto each other's…

_**OH no! Not another cliff hanger! I'm sorry :P But I really hope that you liked the chapter!! Don't forget to review, eh? :D I promise I won't cliff hang the next one! **_

_**Erin**_


	3. Last Night On Earth

**Hello again everyone!! :D I hope you guys all had a happy 2010!!! I know I did!! :D Well, the reason the three chapters were updated so quickly was because I had so much time. Since I'm going back to school on Monday, I won't update until weekends and even then they might not be as long as the first three. But if they aren't as long, I'll try to make it up by writing more short ones. :D I won't give up. Haha **

**Secondly, if you are wondering why I chose this song, there is no specific reason. I just listened to it continuously while I was writing and I thought it just… fit. Don't mind it. You can imagine whichever song you want. :P**

**Lastly, THIS LAST SENTENCE IS NOT A CLIFF HANGER! Haha I just don't want all you guys to kill me. Or at least I don't think it is. :P ENJOY!!**

**Erin 3**

Chapter 3: Last Night On Earth (Green Day)

I became aware of my body, and slowly walked backward. I decided to start a conversation to maybe delay him.

"What do you want, and how do you know my name?" I asked. He was walking faster. Like every five steps I took he would come closer with just one.

He looked at me curiously and replied very calmly, "Oh I've known the Quileute tribe for a while. Ever since Victoria…" He growled out the last sentence in disgust.

But I was completely confused. "Who's Victoria and what does this have to do with me?" I said while trembling. I was basically jogging backwards because of his quickness. I started to turn around and run, but before I even fully turned, he was right there, pinning me up to the nearest tree with his ridiculous strength.

I squirmed, but this caused his grip on me to tighten, and I started breathing faster. "Hold on cupcake. Let me do the talking and you just listen, okay?"

I was absolutely terrified as his grip started to bruise my arms. I could feel the skin was being twisted and stretched apart. I screamed out in pain. He smirked, and continued on, "You're boyfriend who I can smell on you, and his tribe killed Victoria. My love. Do you know what it's like for someone to kill you're love," he spat out.

I shook my head and his hands went up to my neck. I started clawing at them as I was losing air and on the edge of losing consciousness. All I could do was continue to squirm. I closed my eyes, and then the pain went away and I fell down. I must be dead, I thought.

But my sight came back to me and I saw a beautiful wolf. My vision was amazingly blurry with a huge white dot moving across. I tried to focus on what was happening, but I could only see little parts. The wolf had the vampire locked in its legs. I could only hear the snapping of bones and the ripping of a body.

I covered my ears and waited for the pain to ease and the sickening noises to go away. I waited for several minutes and didn't realize it was over until I felt extremely warm hands surround and caress me before lifting me effortlessly.

The breath was knocked out of me as the pain became excruciating. My body was still sore and aching from the intense grip.

"Is he gone?" I managed to ask, still breathless.

"Just relax," soothed a familiar voice. And before I knew it, I passed out.

* * *

I woke up to see myself at Forks hospital with Quil sleeping next to me, holding my cold hand in his warm one. I pulled mine away. Why was I here? I was over at Hannah's… Then it came back to me again. The vampire, the extremely red eyes, and the painful shrieking…

I looked around me to notice the same plain, dull hospital rooms with the beds that felt stiff, and the walls that barely gave privacy. Maybe because they weren't even walls, they were pulled curtains with ugly shades of blue and red. I hated those places because they never brought happiness. They always brought reminders of my parents, dying in the same kind of hospital beds that I appeared to be in now.

It seemed like yesterday when it actually was six years ago. I remembered being at school, at the Wizard of Oz play rehearsal and the secretary, Mrs. Gowan, pulling me out of the auditorium to speak with me.

"Claire, I don't know how to tell this to you, but there was a fire at you're house and," she took a deep breath, "you're parents are seriously hurt. Someone will be picking you up shortly, so you should pack you're bag. Claire. I'm so sorry," she basically choked out, holding back her tears that were clearly starting to form in her eyes.

I couldn't react to anything. I heard what she said but all I could handle to do was stare at her and let her finish. She noticed my delayed reaction, touched my shoulder and asked, "Claire, are you okay?"

I wanted to scream at her and say, "You just told me my parents are hurt and you ask me if I'm okay? Sure, I'm just fine and dandy!" But of course I didn't. Mrs. Gowan was worried because I hadn't said or done anything yet, but my eyes started to form tears as what she said finally sunk in.

I was too devastated to go in and fetch my bag, so I had Mrs. Gowan get it for me, and let my teacher know that I was excused from the rehearsal. I saw Quil appear down that hallway and I wanted nothing more than to run into his warm arms and stay there. I never saw Quil cry once, but at that moment he was bawling his eyes out.

I went up to him and he whispered, "Claire," into my ear. His tone said everything.

"No, no, no, no," I sobbed into his chest. And that was when I knew that they were already gone, just like half of my heart.

"Claire," asked Quil as he woke up beside me.

"Quil," I whispered. "I'm so sorry about everything! I was overreacting and being amazingly selfish," I apologized. But before I could continue, he moved his hand and placed it in mine. I pulled it away and looked to the side. I loved him, and I so wanted to hold his hand, but it would make me desperate for him to hold it because he loved me, not because he just cared about me. I wanted more, and I couldn't stand to be reminded of my longing.

He had a face that was unrecognizable to me, but I would've guessed that it was hurt, because I rejected his hand. I wasn't being very nice and I knew.

"It's okay," he replied in a stern voice. He seemed angry or annoyed.

"Thanks for saving me by the way. I knew I could count on you," I smiled. After I said this, his face fell even more. He snuck a look at me and saw that I was confused at his sudden depressing look.

"I wasn't the one who saved you, Claire. It was Jordan," he growled. Now he seemed really angry. I couldn't help but look absolutely surprised.

"Oh! Wait, the guy I met yesterday? HE'S A WOLF? Is he okay? And what happened to the vampire? What did he want?" I didn't get why all of a sudden I started to ask these questions, but I could easily get off topic whenever I was with Quil. Maybe it was all a part of my usual delayed reactions. Just the mention of Jordan caught me completely off guard.

"Whoa there Claire! Calm down. One question at a time," he chuckled lightly. But then his face turned serious again. "Yes it is Jordan, the guy you met yesterday. And he's fine. Second of all, the vampire you came across was a friend of a woman who we had to kill in order to protect a human."

"Victoria," I replied and he nodded.

He continued to explain, "Well anyway, he could smell my scent on you," he smirked, "and he wanted to get to you so he could come find us and easily torture us."

"So he wanted revenge," I stated.

"So he _wants _revenge." I raised my eyebrows. "He got away before we could do anything…"

I froze. "Does this mean that he's still after you?" I asked.

He shook his head and replied sadly, "He's not after us right now. He's after you. He caught your scent and will chase after it until he gets it."

I started to freak and sat upright, trying to get out of the hospital bed, but I was of course hooked up to a lot of ridiculous stuff and my arms, that I now realized felt so sore, kept me from getting off the bed. Quil shot his hand out and gently pressed my shoulder down back on the bed. I would've fought for it, but Quil was too strong.

"Quil," I started to freak out, "I don't need to be in here. I have to make you guys safe!"

"Claire, we can handle a little crazy vamp. That's no problem. But you're not going anywhere. You are staying here under _our _protection," Quil fought back.

I was going to try to talk him out of it, but he shushed me.

"Claire, don't worry. You just need to relax and get better. You'll be fine."

"But I am fine." I was getting extremely annoyed at him. Couldn't he tell that I was just going to jeopardize everything and open up a risk by being with them? I had to just go away. This vampire wouldn't be able to find me and I could wait until he found another scent or lost interest. Then I'd come back and everything would be fine.

Quil surprised me by taking my hand again, but I immediately shot back. I had no idea why. It might've been because I was ticked off or something, but I didn't mean to do it. I was just being jittery that's all. I looked at the door on the left and just stared at it. But then I heard Quil's chair screech and I looked back at him to see him extremely angry with me.

"What's happened, Claire? Something is obviously bothering you and you won't tell me. Look! You won't even hold my hand. You used to tell me everything. I know there's something going on besides the whole vampire thing because of what happened that night at Sam's. So tell me. What's wrong?" He was angry and looked like a mess. His bags underneath his eyes were becoming more noticeable.

I felt worse than I'd ever felt before. But I couldn't tell him my feelings for him. It was too embarrassing and I did not feel in the mood to humiliate myself.

"Quil, I can't explain. I guess it's just the fact that everything's changing and that now I'm possibly being stalked by a hungry vampire. If it were you, wouldn't you kind of not be in place right now?"

He shook his head no. What, he didn't believe what I just said? "No, Claire. That happened after. What happened the night you walked away to go get fresh air? You won't go near me, and you walked out of the house to take a break."

I looked at my hands that were wired to everything. They were longing to be held. They wished for the normal (or what was normal to me) life that I had sustained for the past fifteen years. But I wouldn't say anything. I wasn't ready to be rejected after the long days I'd had. I just wouldn't.

He saw me shake my head sideways and then he coldly said, "Well let me know when you learn to trust me again. I'll get out of your way."

I wasn't expecting him to just walk out like that. And when he did just that, I knew that I was being unfair to him.

"Quil, wait," I begged. But continued to walk away and I got louder, screaming, "Quil!" I tried to get up, but I was stuck with wiring and screamed, "DAMMIT!" as he closed the door.

ONE MONTH LATER

I never thought that he'd meant that literally. But that's exactly what he meant: 'I'll get out of your way."


	4. Chasing Cars

**So, I know it has been a week, but it is finally a weekend!!! :D **

**As a hint, this is the last chapter of misery. I really hate those depressing books that just drone on about how the girl's completely miserable, and you're stuck with reading her cynical thoughts for 130 pages (possibly even more). So, I will cut this one short so please stay with me! Reviews would be SO MUCH APPRECIATED. They are what keep me in place, here! :D So enjoy, eh? :)**

**Oh, and before I forget, I had requests to do Claire and Quil's POV. So I hope you don't mind if I alternate in this chapter. But I put more of Quil because the first three were in Claire's. :)  
**

**Xoxo Erin**

Chapter 4: Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)

Claire's POV

Ever since the fight between Quil and I, he had been ignoring me, acting like I didn't even exist. It was not what I had planned or even imagined would happen. I even tried to talk to him, but he would only say one-syllable words and find a distraction that would excuse him.

I went home and cried, cried,

and

cried.

I had gone home from the hospital the next day with nothing but a couple wounds that had all repaired themselves.

A week passed by and I was aggravated with everyone and everything, but I was mostly ashamed that I still didn't have the guts to just say how I felt. Anything, even rejection wouldn't hurt as much as this sudden abandonment.

He misunderstood. He didn't realize that I hadn't told him everything because I couldn't. He thought I'd chosen Jordan as a best friend over him. That part was obvious. But that didn't mean that it was true. It was never that way.

And I thought that he would never leave me, regardless of how unfair or stupid I'd been. I even remembered my little six year old self ask Quil if he would stay by my side.

We were eating ice cream at a green, sticky table with an umbrella leaning through a little hole in the center. Quil took a lick of his chocolate ice cream –three scoops– with rainbow sprinkles. Manly, right?

"Forever, Claire-bear," he promised.

And then the week turned into a month and I slowly grew more depressed. I stayed inside, slept late, read, and mostly dazed out the window. But then my depression finally caught up with my energy, and I barely got out of bed or even ate. I had to have my breakfast, lunch, and dinner brought up to me.

But my life was nothing more complex than sitting on my balcony, sleeping, and eating.

Occasionally Jordan would visit and bring music or ice cream. I would devour half a pint in half a minute.

He would often pressure me into telling him what the whole situation was between Quil and I that would get me to be like this. But I never said a word except every time I said this, "I made a huge mistake that doesn't deserve to be forgiven."

He would leave it at that, noticing my hint at dropping the conversation and there would be a usual long pause. I felt bad that I was being so rude and grumpy to him, but I didn't _want_ to be happy. I just wanted to sulk until Quil and I were back to normal. Which I doubted would ever happen.

I stared out the open balcony doors, but didn't go out because it was raining. Again.

I was sitting in my comfy brown chair that I got from Pier 1 Imports, when I went Christmas shopping in Seattle last year, but I was hardly comfortable. After all I had been through, Dmitri started to get more annoying than ever. He would constantly run into my room and shout, "CLAIRE! CLAIRE!" Touching everything in his path, making sure I got a headache. This would go on for hours until Aunt Emily would come up and see that I had enough. I never said a word to him. Not to anyone.

I just left the doors open and welcomed the fresh air. It smelled like it always did when it rained. That sweet, salty scent. I closed my eyes and let my mind drown in the splish-sploshing of the rain, as it fell to the ground, creating a new world of puddles. It was the closest thing to having me relaxed.

But before I could lose myself to a fantasy world involving me saying everything and just being honest to Quil, I heard knocking on my door. I stiffened, waiting for Dmitri to go away.

The door opened slightly as I saw Em come in through the door with a sad face.

"Hi Claire," she whispered.

I nodded, too drained to speak. Also I had the record for who could go the longest without talking. Why stop now?

I turned my focus back to the little water droplets plopping down onto the muddy ground. I thought she was just going to get the tray from lunch or clean up my clothes– because I didn't– but she surprised me by sitting on the hard wooden floor next to me.

I glanced at her as she said calmly, "Claire. You need to tell me what's wrong now. I've let this go on for long enough. Maybe for even too long. But I was hoping that you would solve this little mess before it got serious, which obviously…" She paused, knowing I understood. I just stared blankly at her.

"Well what I'm saying is that you need to come visit everyone. The pack misses you. So first tell me what's wrong," she demanded, more sternly.

I didn't know why, but I just gave in. Maybe it was because the question was so overused, or Em was the only person to talk to, or I agreed that I needed to solve this, but it all just exploded out of my mouth.

I let it all slip about how it became awkward with Quil and the night where I just left to go into the woods. All up to when Quil said, "I'll get out of your way." And…it was because I loved him.

Emily just looked at me, nodding and being sympathetic at the proper parts until I was done. By the time the conversation finished, my eyes were red, swollen, and amazingly dry. I used one and a half boxes of tissues.

Aunt Em moved her hand to mine and held it while we were both quiet besides my hiccupping and sniffling.

A smile formed on her face while she said, "Thanks so much for trusting me, Claire. It means a lot to me, you know."

"Of course," I said, trying to smile.

She went on. "I'll tell you this, Claire. This fight won't last much longer. I think you should go and apologize and tell him everything," she suggested.

I looked down at her hand covering mine and mumbled, "I don't want to be rejected."

She lightly tapped my hands and I looked up, seeing her lean closer to me.

"He won't ignore you and stay away. He just wants your trust back. Be honest, that's all he wants. You'll be surprised at his reaction," she said as she winked at me. I didn't know what it meant exactly, but I knew it had to be a good sign.

* * *

Quil's POV

It had been a long, agonizing month for me. I hadn't done anything except patrol the area for the vampire. Andrew, he called himself. We stayed up night and day to work our shifts to make sure everyone was safe. Including Claire.

I rarely never thought about Claire, since she was on my mind constantly. Since we weren't exactly on "speaking terms", it was making me desperate. Desperate to hold or even touch her. This bugged me so much, that even the pack complained about my depression.

"Dude, she likes you. I can't believe your even doubting it," replied Jacob a couple of days before.

What did he know? Him and his half vampire girlfriend had been doing just great for the past fifteen years. Maybe they had little arguments and such, but come on. They were stuck like glue. Not to mention, he didn't have to deal with a girl who had to grow up normally, every year. Especially from the age of two!

If she liked me, then why wouldn't she hold my hand like she used to? Oh, and why wouldn't she tell me why she was changing? It was like everything I worked to build up, just crashed.

I sighed. Jacob didn't understand and neither did anyone else.

There was a party at Kim and Jared's today and the pack was being forced to go. It was just a random party, and without Claire, I didn't even want to socialize. But I had to.

Embry heard my sigh and turned around to see my sad state. He could obviously tell what I was thinking about.

"Okay, I know you're my best buddy, Quil," he said, tired that he had to keep telling me this. It wasn't my fault I was such a downer.

"But stop moping as if you have no life–"

"But I don't have one," I pointed out.

There was a pause as he tried to look for the right words. I knew he tried to be nice, but his face said, Don't Even Think About Arguing.

"Sorry," I apologized, even though it wasn't convincing.

He continued, "You do have a life. I know it's different without Claire, but trust me. I've seen her. She's probably even more depressed than you are. And now the only friend she has that she can really talk to is Jordan."

I looked everywhere except at him. I was so ashamed that I let myself drop out and be replaced by Jordan. I despised that kid. Everyone knew that he liked Claire. He could hide his thoughts very well; especially anything that Claire had told him. But he sure didn't keep his feelings hidden. And now since he joined the pack, I had to deal with it every friggen day.

Of course, Sam thought it wasn't good to tell him that I had imprinted on Claire until Claire and I were officially together. What a load of Bull.

I was so caught up in my thoughts; I forgot that Embry was there.

"Jordan makes me sick," I groaned.

Embry grimaced as he said, "You think that's bad? Wait until you're off shift and don't have to deal with his thoughts anymore. I feel like I'm being transported to his dreams. It's disgusting."

Embry wasn't too keen on Jordan either. He always seemed fishy. Sam kept complaining that I was just jealous. I had to admit, I was. But Jordan always had to rub in my face that he was with Claire.

There was another long pause and I noticed my location again. I became more aware that I was at the beach deciding to chill out before going to the party.

"Well I think we should go and get this party out of the way," I sighed. I really didn't want to go.

Embry nodded and we walked past the muddy shores, to the forest. Dreading every step we got closer, knowing that Jordan would be there.

* * *

We were greeted at the door by Kim.

"Hey! Come on in," she smiled.

We entered the very spacious house and went through the kitchen to the backyard. I was still not up for this party. Several minutes passed and I was talking to the pack about the car shop we all worked at, while Paul started dissing everyone about this one car that was just falling apart, and we couldn't fix.

I looked around me to see how the party was going. It was great and there were a couple people from work, town, and out of town.

As I glanced around, I saw Claire enter through the back screen door. It was the first time I'd seen her in three weeks, and I could feel my jaw drop open. She was beautiful in every way possible.

Her slim, curvy body (which I was starting to notice more and more every month) fit into an empire waist, green dress with white polka dots. Her hair was down, past her shoulders. Her tanned skin shined every time it hit the bamboo lights.

Her eyes scanned the yard and found mine. I felt myself take in a deep breath. With her eyes still lock onto mine, she slowly walked to where I was gaping.

"Hi, Quil," she whispered as soon as she reached me.

"Hi, Claire," was all I replied. Smart thinking Quil. But her beauty just stunned me. It had been too long.

"We need to talk," she said as she glanced over at the packs, who were also staring. I nodded as I followed her to the other side of the yard, away from the party.

We walked through the garden that Kim was absolutely obsessed about. It had become her new thing for whenever she got super stressed. Which happened a lot when you were working full time, volunteered for everything, cooked, cleaned, and a million other things. I did not want to experience her life.

"So, I just wanted to tell you, uh, everything. So that we don't have to keep secrets away from each other anymore. I want a new start," she explained nervously.

"Me too," I agreed.

"So we can be back to normal now?" she asked.

I nodded, wanting her to continue with telling me what she was so uncomfortable with.

"Okay. So when I went to the woods, I needed air because I was feeling uncomfortable with you," she said slowly.

I wanted her to continue on. "Why?" I asked.

"Because I started to realize that I…"

"Yes?" I urged. She took a deep breath. I walked closer to her and pulled her hands in mine. I wanted to be with her. She looked uneasy.

"I started to lo–"

"Claire!" I heard a voice interrupt. Claire and I immediately backed two feet away from each other. I growled, ready to rip his head off. And it was of course Jordan.

"Everyone is missing you at the party! Come on!" He demanded as he grabbed her hand, replacing mine.

I knew that no one said they wanted her back because they knew that Claire was going to explain everything. I got even angrier with the fact that Claire was still holding his hand when she rejected mine at the hospital and pulled mine away five seconds ago. She saw me glare at their entwined hands and she immediately ripped hers out of Jordan's.

"Quil…" But I was already walking away.

So she decided she was going to tell me she loved Jordan? I was _uncomfortable _to her? Oh, yeah, she was definitely having a hard time for the month I was away. I always lost myself when I was with her.

But I was glad, for this once, that Jordan interrupted, because he made me snap out of what I wanted, to what was real.


	5. Your Call

**So yeah! I'm back! And with a sprained wrist… : ( Out for a whole week of basketball. (To make a long story short, SNOWBOARDING) Okay, I'm an expert skier and I realized that snowboarding IS WAY DIFFERENT! Lol Anyway, THE WAITING IS OVER!!! PLEASE REVIEW! I would LOVE to know what you think, as always :)**

**Tonks-quinn57 P.S. This story is dedicated to Jen and Julia Stein!!!! (oh, and their dad for giving me b-ball rides :) )**

Chapter 5: Your Call (Secondhand Serenade)

Claire's POV

Quil! God! He always got carried away with one thought, not even bothering to make sure it was true or not.

I was so angry that I stomped over to Aunt Emily in the kitchen to tell her I was going home. Jordan, of course, was following me everywhere.

"Why? What's wrong, honey," asked Em. I shrugged, not able to speak or I would end up in tears. God, Quil. Why do this to me every time?

"Oh," she sighed. She finally understood that something wrong happened with Quil and I. I nodded letting her know that her assumption was right.

She patted my back as I whispered, "I'll meet you at the house."

She nodded and I went out the front door, into the cool night from the rain. The rain made the air so humid, that I could barely breath. I just couldn't wait to be alone. But I wasn't. I could hear Jordan's distant footsteps. God, could he ever leave me alone?

"Jordan I know you're there, can you leave me alone?" I asked, with a hint of annoyance. I felt bad. He didn't know how I could be if I was annoyed or wanted to be alone.

"No, Claire. Something's up and I'm here. I can help!" he said while grabbing my hand, trying to stop me. This got me mad. NO! He was the reason why this whole thing was screwed up!

I ripped my hand out of his, the tears fully escaping now. "No! You can't help, since you've been ruining everything! And I know you've been trying to help with everything, but there are just some things. You. Can't. Solve."

I made this last sentence clear, hoping he'd go away. But no such luck. Instead, he decided to take it farther with me.

"I know I can't solve everything, and I try to support you! But it's so hard to do when you yell at me like this! I don't get what's going on! I seriously just tried to get you to come over to the party. You looked so uncomfortable and I know you don't like Quil—"

This stumped me. "What did you just say?" I asked, incredulously. Did he just say he _knew_ I didn't like Quil? How could he possibly think that?

Jordan started to look nervous. "Oh, come on Claire. He's been killing you. Surely you must know that you should stay away from him. Forget about him." His voice became soft as he continued, "He's been leaving me out, too. So think about our friendship instead. I'll always be here for you."

I stopped walking, feeling completely weird. But I felt anger burn right through me. I took my finger and poked it at his chest as I clearly growled, "You don't know what it's like between me and Quil. So don't even THINK about trying to tell me to stay away from him! So leave me alone. Now. Okay?"

He finally got the message as I finished. "Okay. Fine." He replied, hurt. I didn't have the energy to become sympathetic. I just turned and walked home, feeling like I just lost the two most important things in my life.

* * *

I walked down the road, through the puddles, soaking my shoes completely. I had to breathe in deeply to make sure I could control myself. When I didn't want to be alone, I was. When I did, I couldn't. Why did it always have to be the complete opposite?

I reached Em's house and barged in through the door. I knew I needed to just take a break, and as I was taking my shoes off in the foyer, I saw Dmitri and Katie come into the room. Katie was Dmitri's babysitter, who he absolutely had a crush on. Everyone could tell.

"Hey, Claire. I didn't think you guys would get back this early," she stated as she checked her wristwatch.

I smiled, lamely and said, "Yeah. It was getting boring, you know. But it's okay, you can go home if you want to."

She glanced again at her watch and said, "Really? I actually do have to go somewhere… thanks so much." I saw the look of relief on her face and nodded, as she got ready to leave. Dmitri, however, had a different reaction.

"You have to go, Katie?" he begged, attaching himself to her leg. How old was he, like three? If I hadn't actually known he was eight, I would've thought so. She smiled and mussed his dark black hair.

"Don't worry, little bud. I'll be back next weekend, and we can keep watching movies and all that fun stuff."

She looked up at me and said thanks again, and then walked out the door. I saw Dmitri sulk off as I went to my room. And I cried. I was on my bed, for hours, waiting for the pain from the fight to dull. But I then heard my door squeak open.

"Claire," whispered a soft voice. I shifted in my bed to see Dmitri looking sad and worried, as he probably saw my obvious red, swollen eyes.

"What?" I asked. He didn't respond and I didn't get what he wanted. I just stared at him as he stood on the edge of the bed, his head the only thing visible, just peeping above.

I was surprised when he got on my bed and wrapped his arms around my neck. At first I couldn't react because this had never happened. We never had a relationship that was this friendly or nice. But I now realized that this was exactly what I needed after this long, cold day. I moved my arms around his little, gentle body and dug my face into his tiny shoulder.

We sat there for a while as I cried into him, and he was rubbing my back, saying in his sweet baby voice, "It's okay, sis. It'll all be better."

* * *

My aunt walked into the room, surprised to see Dmitri and I, embracing each other. Her mouth opened up, wide. But after she got her thoughts back together, she smiled and leaned into the doorway.

We both looked at her as she said, "Well this is a surprise."

I nodded as Em suggested we go eat ice cream. Dmitri glanced over at me as a pout showed on his face. I laughed and shuffled his hair. "Of course you can go, bud."

He smiled. If I didn't know better, I would've expected him to bark excitedly like a little puppy, ready for his treat. He ran out of the door in seconds, shouting, "I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!"

Em and I laughed as she asked, "You want one, too?"

I shook my head no and replied with confidence, "No. I'm going to go fix this mess once and for all."

* * *

I felt more confident, the more steps I took towards Quil's house, and the closer I got. I can do this. I can do this, I chanted in my head. I felt very pathetic that I had to convince myself to go talk to someone. This was never a problem for me. I normally told someone what I wanted to, never in a rude way, but still. Honesty was one of the most important things for me.

I reached Quil's house, pausing on the front steps. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the door and knocked. Thump-thump-thump. Too late to back down now, I told myself.

There was a shadow in the window as Embry answered the door. "Claire." He said, surprised.

"Hi, Embry is Quil there?" I asked. He just nodded as he opened the door enough, so that I could squeeze past him. The smell was so familiar and I started to relax as I remembered being here so many times.

I remembered the yellow kitchen that was old, but very homey. And then there was the living room that was very plain, with mismatching furniture. A brown couch, a green chair, and a TV. Embry and Quil both lived in the same house. They'd been best friends since the first grade, basically and they couldn't pay for the mortgage on their own. I moved slowly, turning to the left and walked down the hallway, until I got to the bedroom on the right. The door was, of course, closed.

I didn't even bother to knock as I opened the door a little bit to make sure the coast was clear. I saw Quil lying on the bed, his back facing me. At first I thought he was sleeping, but then I saw him stir and growl, "Embry, I told you to leave me."

I stood up stiffly, as I replied softly, "I'm not Embry."

Quil went stiff for a moment before sitting up and shifting in his bed to bring his gaze up to me. I stared right back at him. He looked like a mess. His room, which I just noticed, was completely covered in junk, and Quil had bags under his eyes. I gasped.

He looked absolutely miserable, once I looked over him a second time. "Quil," I whispered as I walked toward him. I sat next to him on his bed and pulled him into my arms. He wasn't even reluctant. He tightened his warm arms around me. I dug my head into the crook of his neck as he rested his cheek on my head.

"I'm so sorry, Quil," I started. "I know it's not fair that I haven't been telling you anything, but it's because I'm afraid of what you'll think of me. I know you'll think that I'm weird, and just a plain, stupid teenager."

I could feel him shaking his head as he replied, "I'd never think that and you know it." It was true. He never thought that about me. Not even for five seconds. God, how stupid was I?

"Well I just can't tell you. It's too hard. But I can show you…" I said as I paused. I pulled my head away from his shoulder as I gazed at him. I could tell he was confused. Well, here it goes, I thought. And just like that, I pressed my lips to his.

I was expecting him to jerk back and say that he didn't like me like that. That we would just be friends. That that was all we could be. But he didn't pull back at all. He held me tighter while our lips never broke apart.

We both had to catch our breath eventually, and I took the pause to explain everything. I told him why I felt awkward, and why I couldn't tell him everything at first. All the way down to the last darn thing I could think of.

He listened very well and never let go of me. Which I was very happy about. I leaned my head on his shoulder, as I sat on his lap, sighing in content. "I love you, Quil."

"Claire," I heard Quil say. I felt strange at the fact that Quil sounded uneasy. Oh no. "I need to tell you something," he spoke softly. I tensed. "Do you know what imprinting is?"

I shook my head no. "I don't think I ever heard about it…" I asked, now feeling uneasy, too.

"Well," he explained, "It's what wolves do. Not everyone imprints, but it's when the wolves find their soul mates. Sometimes they imprint on girls that are very young. It's not the wolf's fault, and they don't fall in love that way until they're older. They act like older brothers until the imprintee is old enough to grow feelings, if she does."

I nodded, understanding, but still confused. "How young? And what do you mean by soul mate?"

"Imprintees mean everything to us. They are our love for eternity. Our true partners for forever. They fill our hearts. It's hard to explain, but they are what make us happy," he said slowly.

I felt a huge lump in my throat. "Are you saying you imprinted on someone?" I asked, in dread.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

I nodded and was trying to get off his lap. He loved someone else? Wow this was the most embarrassing thing ever. I felt tears at the edges of my eyes. But Quil's arms surrounded mine, not letting me go.

"Wait, Claire! Where are you going? I haven't even finished!" He begged.

Cursed tears! They were falling down like a waterfall, completely soaking my cheeks. Quil took his finger and lightly swept the tears away. His warm finger felt so nice on my skin. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to all be over.

"Why are you crying, Claire? You haven't even heard my story," he stated.

I didn't want to hear it.

"Claire, I imprinted on you!" My head snapped up and looked at him.

"I imprinted on you when you were two. You complete me. You are the love of my life. I will be whatever you want me to be, whether it's just a friend, brother, or lover. I don't care as long as I'm with you." This was just about the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me.

After all the emotion that came into me, saying he loved me, I blurted out, "Are you serious?" But this made Quil only laugh.

He whispered, "Of course, Claire. I love you, too." And with that our lips were gently touching again. This is something I would never get used to.


	6. Battlefield

**Hellooooo!!! : ) So I went snowboarding today and I officially can snowboard! YAY! :D I know that I haven't been updating as often as before, but hey, I'm busy. Basketball, Beta-reading, and other things… But I am still writing : ) **

**I know that this chapter is a little short, but the next one will probably be a little longer. :)**

**ENJOY!**

**-tonks-quinn57 (All characters that sound familiar belong to Stephenie Meyer!!!!)**

Chapter 6: Battlefield (Jordin Sparks)

Claire's POV

Since the depressing month without Quil, it became August, with only two full weeks left of school. Senior year.

I was actually really excited for school to start again because I really did miss my friends – who came back from awesome places like California, instead of staying here in this boring town. But more importantly, I was excited to be getting done with high school and continuing life in college.

College was still a difficult subject to think about, let alone even mention to Quil. Every day I would become more reluctant than before. I still hadn't managed to start a conversation. But what I _was _positive about was that I was going to college. I wanted the memories, whether good or bad, that everyone else was going to experience.

Besides college, Quil and I became very comfortable with each other during the week we'd been a couple. We definitely got passed the awkward parts—since there was no awkward stage.

We didn't do anything out of hand. It was slow and nice. We did kiss… a lot, but it hadn't gotten at all too sexual. Our relationship was at a perfect level.

Unfortunately, today was another rainy day. Today was even more depressing since I wasn't with Quil, and today was the annual "fun festival" day to celebrate our town that was, who knows how many years old.

Everyone loved the fun festival. It had everything that would be found at a festival. Well, more like a fair. They had BBQ's (the best I might add), the most amazing fried dough that had powdered sugar, cinnamon, and ketchup dumped on it (it's actually really good!) (**A/N I have no idea if it is…)**. They also had rides like the tilt-a-HURL—it's actually whirl, but is officially known as HURL. And even the freaky clowns, who ask what kind of animal you want and turn it into a balloon. But no matter how many times you tell them, they'll still give you a dog. Such talent.

Today I hung out with a couple friends who arrived in town, to see the soccer games being played at the Rec. field. We were all standing, huddled together in our rain jackets on the side of the field, trying to all keep dry under the one umbrella that was brought. We were all talking about random things, when Siera unglued her eyes to her cell phone screen, and shot up her head to lock her gaze on mine.

"You're dating Quil?" She yelled as everyone looked at me.

Embarrassed, I hissed, "Will you _shut up_? Everyone can hear." I looked around me until the staring eyes lost interest in me.

Siera was an averaged-sized, massively curly haired brunette, who connected everything to boys. Although she had an obsession, she never dated because of her mega dilemma on who to choose. 'There are too many boys to choose just one.'

"Well?" she probed. Oh, yeah. She was absolutely stubborn, too. Abby and Roy-- my other friends-- were just staring at me, absolutely gob smacked.

I turned the shade of a red tomato, even through my tanned, brown skin.

"Yes," I admitted. Everyone knew he was older than I was, but no one knew his true age.

"Isn't he like twenty-something?" asked Abby.

"Geesh, you guys. I wasn't expecting you to be so demanding and negative," I stated, feeling very nervous.

Everyone immediately relaxed and Abby said, "I mean I'm happy for you. You know I've been wanting you to get with him and all. I'm just, uh, surprised it worked out." She looked at me sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean Abby. But yeah, he's like twenty-three," I lied.

Abby believed me. I could tell because Quil never aged. It was a part of the whole werewolf thing. Just like him being warm and extremely macho. Also, I never told anyone about Quil raising me up when I was little. When I was little he lived out of La Push long enough so that when he came back, no one would really recognize him. Occasionally someone would actually notice him, but they would be told about him being a werewolf. And all of this, I found out just three days ago.

Abby was an absolutely crazy friend. But she was the closest to me. She was beautiful with very dark (almost black) hair. It was layered and around shoulder length. And for such a beautiful girl, she of course had the best boyfriend ever. His name was Roy.

Roy was beyond cool. He had long, shaggy brown hair. He was very nice, smart, and totally perfect for Abby. They were so cute. And since the Rez let a better variety of people join the town, I had tons of friends to pick from.

"Hello, Earth to Claire!" Screamed Abby. I immediately snapped back to reality mode. I really needed to stop getting lost in my thoughts.

I looked at Abby and everyone else—who were staring at me—as the whistle blew on the field, declaring the soccer game over.

"Oh, sorry. What did you say," I asked.

"We just wanted to know if you wanted to see the rest of the festival," she repeated, rolling her eyes and smiling at my fail to paying attention.

"Sure," I said while smiling. I loved how my friends easily forgave me for not being "in the real world".

We all walked through the muddy grass to see all the rides and fun games. La Push, as always, was prepared for the casual rain, so most places were dry under waterproof tarps. But before I could really enjoy myself, I heard someone yell my name.

"Claire!" It screamed.

I turned around, knowing already who it was-- Jordan. I smiled. I felt bad for the way our fight had ended, and I did miss him. I knew I needed to solve this and apologize. Yes, he could be very annoying, but so was everyone else. He really wasn't excluded from how I thought about anyone else. Not to mention he dealt with me, trying to make me happy, and I loved him even more.

"Hey," I said, seeing him run up to me and hug me. It was a nice, friendly motion.

"Hi." He grinned. He looked so…_happy_. As if I hadn't seen him in a month. Well, it was a week so I understood. Being away from Quil for that long would probably kill me. "I missed you, Claire."

My guilt was catching up to me now. "I know. I'm so sorry for being jerk to you. I really didn't have a reason nor a right to tell you that the whole fight was because of you. It wasn't," I apologized. My face fell as I realized how big of an idiot I was.

Siera, impatient as always, coughed behind me, indicating that I need to hurry up because they were waiting for me to join them. I turned my head to look back at them and said, "You guys can go on. I'll catch up with you in like five minutes."

They nodded, smiling—knowing that I missed Jordan—and walked off to the Ferris Wheel. "Well I kind of have to go. I'm hanging out with everyone tonight and I promised that the whole day was devoted to them," I explained as I slowly stepped back, toward my friends. I was turning around, saying that I'd catch up with him later, when I heard him scream, "Wait!" I looked at him to see his face fall a little bit.

"I have to tell you something," he whispered. He sounded scared, but I had no clue why.

"No offense, but can you make it quick?" I didn't like to rush him, but I could practically feel Siera, Abby, and Roy's stares burning through me.

He walked towards me, inching closer, until he was right in front of my face. I was mega uncomfortable that I didn't have my space. I tried stepping backwards, when he grabbed my wrists.

"What the heck are you doing, Jordan?" I asked when his arms slid around my waist, and he whispered in my ear, "I love you, Claire."

I was in complete shock. But before I could think, he (as I liked to put it) crushed his lips to mine. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I tried squirming out of his grasp, but since he was unusually strong—due to his werewolf abilities—I couldn't move away.

Anger bubbled up inside of me. Why would he tell me he loved me when he KNEW Quil had imprinted on me??? Ah, Hell!!!

I continued to try to push him away. I just didn't love him that way! But as I prepared to unfortunately knee him in the groin, his lips and arms were pulled away from me.

"What the HELL is going on?" It was Quil, and he was very, very mad. Although I was extremely P.O.'d at Jordan too, I did NOT want him to get involved with fighting Quil. Especially in public…crap!

I looked around to see Abby, Siera, and Roy wide-eyed, looking at me. Not to mention the other confused thirty people who circled around us.

I heard a huge crunch and a grunt, and immediately turned around to see Jordan on the ground, clutching his nose. It was gushing out blood, and I ran to his side. I looked up at Quil –with the ugliest side of him I'd ever seen—and saw him with a hand raised, preparing to punch him a second time.

"Quil, no! Stop!" I raised my hand and stood up between them. He didn't pay attention to me and continued to scream at Jordan.

"I don't want you to even LOOK at Claire ever again, you piece of sh—"

"Quil!!" I interrupted him. But it didn't stop the words that flew out of his mouth.

"You will not be with my girlfriend. PERIOD." Quil was just so out of control, that I couldn't understand why he hadn't formed into a wolf yet. But I didn't want to wait until that happened, in public.

I walked in front of him, put his head in between my hands, and slowly told him, "Quil, we need to talk. Now. Come with me."

I raised my index finger, telling him to wait, when I went to Jordan's side. He was okay, but he probably broke his nose. I remembered Quil explaining that werewolves healed very fast, so I wasn't that worried.

I looked at my friends and said, "I'm sorry I gotta go clear this out. Some other time?" I asked, and they nodded. But their faces looked so white that I almost mistook them for ghosts. I ignored the rest of the group surrounding us and helped Jordan up.

I dragged both of them away from the fair, out to the edge of the woods. They were both silent as I shoved them around. I was REALLY pissed now. I was mad that Quil was punching and out of control. I was mad at Jordan for being so stupid, and knowing he knew better. When we reached the outer perimeter of the fair, I shoved them over and screamed, "Explain yourselves!"

They both looked ashamed, completely aware of why I was screaming at them. I waited…

No response.

"Fine, I'll go first then! Jordan," I spat as I gave Jordan the death glare. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?"

He took this literally and replied, "Kissing you?" His voice was faint and squeaked to a high-pitched sound.

"No dip, Sherlock! I mean what were you thinking?" I yelled. Why were guys so complicated?

Jordan, totally petrified, replied, "I couldn't keep it in. I love you. I needed to tell you."

And even though he mentioned it before, it stumped me. He loved me…

And I couldn't respond. I didn't know what to say.


	7. This Is Who We Are

**Hello! I'm sooooo soooo sorry that I hadn't updated in forever! I hope that all you guys haven't given up on me! I have to thank all of you who have reviewed and have been waiting patiently! I really appreciate all the support! (I HEART YOU!)**

**I want to specifically thank my friend Mallorie who I've been pushing like crazy to help me! (I LOVE YOU!)**

**Now, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Also I have been hitting a major writer's block! Please! I will take any suggestions! Help me? :D**

**tonks-quinn57**

Chapter 7: This Is Who We Are (Cartel)

Claire's POV

I decided to go with the truth.

"I love you too, Jordan," I replied while sighing. This obviously was not the reaction he was looking for. "I love you and care about you. And I hate it when I hurt you like this, but you have to understand that I am with Quil, and I will be with Quil," I explained, talking softly, knowing that this was hard for Jordan. And now I realized just how proud I was that he told me. We would get over this awkward stage. We just needed time.

"And I'm so glad that you've decided to tell me all this. But," I said fast, "You can't just kiss me like that."

I was aware of the fact that underneath all the anger I felt, the kiss was actually nice. If I hadn't met Quil, we probably would've been together. I felt a pang of guilt for how Jordan must have been dealing with this whole situation. I shook the thought away from my head quickly, not wanting to feel even worse.

I looked at Quil who was glaring at Jordan, but as Jordan replied, his face softened in understanding.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to be with you, that's why I felt that I just…" He struggled for the correct words. "… just _needed _one last kiss. It was stupid," he finished sadly.

I knew that I would regret this next movement that I stupidly decided to do. I quickly managed to give Quil a glance before. He didn't understand that I was trying to tell him to not look. So instead I said, "Quil, can we be alone?"

"Why?" He spat, knowing now that I would do something I didn't want him to see.

I sighed. "Fine, Quil." I ignored him and his pissy mood.

I moved closer to Jordan, gulping. I didn't know why I was doing this, and I certainly didn't know why I suddenly had butterflies in my stomach. But I smiled while whispering, "Thanks for being honest."

And I kissed him. It was a swift one though. I thought it was too sad to know when you'd get your last kiss. I guess I wanted him to still have hope, even though I shouldn't have let him continue liking me. I guess I was just being too selfish.

We pulled apart as I smiled.

"Thanks," he replied.

I started to look around and caught Quil's gaze. He obviously was not expecting anything like kissing, and he just stared blankly at me. His eyebrows pulled together, indicating he was angry and probably ready to kill me. This started to worry me.

"Quil," I said, walking towards him as he walked backwards towards the forest. The rain was picking up hard now, and I unfortunately did not have the protection of an umbrella or tarp, only the skinny raincoat I brought, so I was becoming soaked. But Quil just shook his head and ran away. I knew he was mad, and I knew he just needed some space. But he couldn't forget the fact that I still loved him more.

I stood there as he became distant, a wet blur in the bright green color of the forest. I felt a hand grab mine and I looked sideways at Jordan. I stared at his nose, which already appeared to be healing.

"Go," he said, nodding his head in the direction that Quil left in.

"You'll be okay?" I asked. He waved his hand and winked at me, grinning like a goof ball. I just had to smile back. I waved as I walked away.

I didn't know exactly where Quil was at. I guessed he was at his house and I headed off through the forest to take a shortcut to his house. Here in La Push, I noticed how small of a town it really was. Even though I was here my whole life, I still had adventures, new places, and experiences to find along the way. The openess of the forest just swallowed me when I was little. It felt like it never ended, yet you couldn't get lost. You would always be where you wanted to be or not too far away.

I could even imagine my four-year-old self running in the forest with Quil, my long hair flowing back as I shout "Quil! Watch me!" and I run around, laughing. Hearing his low, soothing chuckle and hearing him always reminding me not to go too far. I sighed at my little day dream, wishing I remembered more of my childhood. I could only recollect little snippets of my life as a kid and mostly the bad incidents. Like when I fell on my rock cement driveway and got six stitches on my knee.

A twig snapped behind me and my head immediately shot up, looking cautiously around. Oh my God, I'm just becoming paranoid, I thought. But still chilled at the sudden quietness, I walked faster, wishing I was closer to the edge of the forest, but no. I had to be stuck in the rain while it was getting darker and darker with the swollen clouds, smack dab in the middle of a forest, getting twitchier by the minute. Gah, can you say bad timing?

I heard a swish to my right and I glanced over at the big nothingness. Officially in creep out mode, I whispered, "Quil?" _Crack. _Another twig. And then I saw the two bright red dots, standing out. I moved into a full run.

My breathing picked up, sharply inhaling and exhaling, my calves already feeling heavy, letting me know I couldn't continue sprinting for long. I didn't dare look back, fearing it might slow me down. I just kept running.

I ran through the trees and bushes and other prickly things. My raincoat caught on a bush and I tugged it off, just trying to get away. They kept scratching my face and other now exposed parts of skin, nipping right away. I heard the awful ripping noises of my clothes being torn apart. I didn't focus on the little things, though. The now cold air started burning in my lungs, my muscles screamed to stop, to take a break. And then I lost my footing or something and tripped over a log.

Gathering my breath, I screamed, "Quil!"

"Hello again, Claire," replied a calm, familiar voice. He grabbed my arms and looked at them in pleasure. Andrew was his name, I remembered. I felt the sting from the scratches and saw the warm, thick, blood run down them, forming streaks. I tried to pull back, but couldn't as his face neared the minor injuries and disgustingly licked them. Feeling completely hopeless, I started to cry and repeated Quil's name. Screaming like a lost little girl.

Andrew's eyes flared, hunger filling them as he got his sample of my blood. His grip on me tightened painfully and his shiny, sharp, teeth neared my arm, preparing to bite. My wet eyes kept blurring and I couldn't clear them. I saw a mix of gray, white, brown, and other colors cross my vision and I was released, finally.

I dried my eyes with my hands, trying to see what was happening. I realized it was the wolf pack. But the scene was worse than anything I'd seen before.

The biggest, furriest, wolf, which was a goldish-red color (Sam I thought) opened his big mouth, and clamped down, detaching Andrew's head from his body. The two other wolves, both white and gray (Jordan and Embry) shredded the rest of the body. My eyes were glued on the horrible scene until my eyes blurred again, and I started sobbing.

I felt warm hands come up behind me and wrap around my waist. I managed to turn around and hugged Quil tightly, digging my face into his chest. He was stroking my hair continuously, while I cried, trying to ignore the painful screeching. But before I could continue to listen agonizingly, I felt myself get lifted up in Quil's arms. The noise grew distant almost instantly and I was left with the quiet breathing of Quil as he ran, carrying me to his house.

We got there in a matter of minutes. I felt the warmth of his house when we finally got out of the rain. I lifted my head to peak over his shoulder. I saw the living room fade away as he went into the bathroom.

He gently sat me down on the counter and looked at my face. His face showed that he was unbelievably worried. He brought his hand up, caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes, loving the warm tingling sensation he left as he brushed across my skin. I needed the calm.

He lifted my chin, a hint to bring my eyes up to his.

"Hey, you okay? You had me worried. I didn't want you to ever experience that."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Was I okay? I couldn't keep the image of Andrew getting ripped apart out of my mind. Were the wolves created to torture like that? It was more different to hear than see.

"Claire," Quil said even more quietly. I looked at the white wall in front of me, not looking at Quil anymore.

"Is he dead?" I asked. I bit my lip to keep myself from losing it.

"…Yes."

I nodded, tasting the blood on my lips now. But now my eyes were too dry and I really didn't want to cry again. Quil instantly pulled me in his arms.

"Shh…" He soothed. I felt him kiss me on the temple. He just moved his hands up and down my back.

Eventually he stopped and asked, "You okay now?", and I nodded.

"Well, then let's get you cleaned up," he said. He got back to work and helped me disinfect my cuts. Sooner or later I was all set to go.

I jumped off the counter getting ready to head out the bathroom door when Quil grabbed my arm, not allowing me to leave. I looked up at him and saw his sad face on again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I sighed and kissed him gently on the lips. "Yes. I think I should just relax. Come," I said as I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me to the living room.

Quil and I calmed ourselves by watching television and eating ice cream. I kept waiting for my muscles to relax and stop being so tense, but they were tight. I was biting down on my teeth so hard that my jaw started aching. Also, I couldn't focus on the T.V. because of my fidgety hands that were just playing with my ice cream.

I didn't notice that I was distracting Quil until he turned to me and put his hand on top of mine.

"You're not relaxing, Claire," he stated.

I looked at my soupy vanilla ice cream. I knew that I wasn't okay. But I also knew that I didn't want to worry Quil. So I lied.

"I know. I'm just tired. I'm tense from trying to keep myself up. Can I just stay here for the night?"

He nodded. He looked on edge, cautious, like I might disappear.

He led me down the hallway to his room where I automatically collapsed onto his bed. He pulled the covers over my shoulders and gently kissed my forehead. I pretended to fall asleep until he closed the door. It took me a while before I was finally pulled into a deep slumber.

* * *

I was running. So strange. I wanted to stop, but was unable to. I had to wait a couple minutes before I abruptly stopped. I looked around to see that I was in the forest again. A waterfall along with the bright, amazing green against the sky was breathtaking.

I looked down and gasped as I saw the sparkles coating my arms and legs. Like crystals. I was so focused on my new appearance that I didn't notice the strange man standing next to me. As I looked up, finding his face right in front of mine, I jumped a bazillion feet into the air.

"Andrew, don't scare me like that!" My screeching didn't faze him. He stared at my hands too. "Strange, isn't it?" I asked in amazement.

I couldn't help but smile at this attention from him. He was in complete awe. I gave him my arm, trying to show off my exposed, glowing, skin. But everything changed as he took that one, long step closer to me.

The sky went dark, making it absolutely impossible to see through. Except for the glimmer of the river that appeared next to me. It's unnatural blueness made it light enough to see Andrew's face. But I actually wish I hadn't.

Everything was wrong. In an instant, Andrew's beautiful face turned gaunt and pale, haunting my memory. He looked ill. His sandy colored hair, was now graying and his front teeth distinctly changed into two, sharp fangs.

"You're finally one of us now, Claire." He spoke in a low, slow voice that any person would want to run away from.

I was so confused. This is what it's like to be a vampire? And then I felt the burning sensation that came over me. I felt like I was dumped into a pit of fire; burning me alive. I collapsed to the floor, screaming in agony. Anything would be better than this. Just stop. Go away.

"Claire!"

I woke up and twisted in bed to vomit straight on Quil's floor.

* * *

Quil's POV

I was doing the dishes since Embry started to argue that it was my turn and I didn't feel like being stubborn. I was too focused on thinking about Claire and how strange she was acting. I knew she wasn't tired. That she was scarred from seeing Andrew getting torn up. It was all my fault. I could've stopped it. I shouldn't have run into the forest. I should've been more careful! My thoughts continued to chastise me about my idiotic actions.

A noise caught my attention. It was coming from my room. Claire, I thought. I looked over at Embry who was on the couch glancing at me, and we both took off to my room where Claire was sleeping.

When we got there she was hitting a full scream, shrieking out like she was in pain.

"Claire!"

She got up and had enough time to move over to the edge of the bed and throw up. I immediately went to her side and couldn't do much besides hold her hair back and rub her back. Embry came back quickly with a bucket and Claire gladly took it.

When she was done she kept repeating, "Quil, I'm so sorry. I'm making a complete mess." She tried to get up, but I made her lie back down as Embry and I cleaned up my room. Good thing I cleaned that day so she didn't throw up on anything special except for an old shirt and some other insignificant items.

"Yeah, Claire. You leave this all up to us," smiled Embry. He was always a good sport to Claire. He loved her, too. I've always been suspicious that he might like her the same way I do.

Claire put her arm over her face and took a deep breath. She groaned.

"Let's put you into some new clothes," I said and she nodded. While she got sick, she got a little on her shirt.

I walked to my closet and chose the smallest shirt for me that was still too big for Claire. She quickly took off her shirt and replaced it with mine. I got a strange feeling as I got a glimpse of Claire more exposed. I was used to changing her when she was little and all, but now that I was _with_ Claire, I felt… wanting. For something more. Stop. This isn't the time, Quil. God. I was turning into a pervert.

Claire wasn't aware of my staring. She pulled the covers back over her shoulders and shrunk into a little ball. She looked really sick now and so…vulnerable. She was sweaty and although her skin was tan, she looked paler and almost green. I offered her soup and tea and did whatever she wanted me to for the rest of the night. After everything, she was finally starting to doze off and I slowly went into the bed to keep her warm and comfortable. She automatically curled into me and sighed.

"Quil?"

"Yes, Claire?"

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, Claire. Anything."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Go to sleep."


	8. A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Okay, so I know I have to explain. I haven't updated since April? And it wasn't even a chapter? It was a author's note! WTF?

I know. I'm really, really sorry. I had a HUGE writer's block. I had no clue where this story was going to go (that's the reason for the author's note) and when I asked for someone to send a PM helping me out, I didn't get anything. (I'm not complaing. I'm a writer for crying out loud. I need to think of these things on my own.) Except from _**TheMonsterThatLivesUnderUrBed. **_: ) (Thank you!)

So I started thinking and I finally thought of something! YAY! But I'm sorry for the 'A Few Months Later' that you see below. I didn't want to rewrite the story, but I wanted a problem to start right away so that you didn't have to wait and have to read such a boring, slow story.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Xoxo

Tonks-quinn57 (aren't you glad I didn't quit?)

Chapter 8: A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Coldplay)

Claire's POV

A Few Months Later

It was late December and I finally got to start Christmas vacation. Sadly, my teachers didn't seem to understand what "break" meant and so they decided to give piles and piles of homework. Probably more homework than there usually was in a regular two weeks of school.

I sat at my desk, gazing at the huge text books filled with crumpled papers that held my assignments, notes, and just about everything else. I focused on my ten page paper that was due the day we got back to school. I stared at the notes I wrote and reread them over and over again, but the meaning would not sink into my head.  
I sighed, quitting. I couldn't think at a time like this. So I decided to pick up my cell phone that sat so still on my desk, and try calling Quil, again. I had been trying to reach him for almost four weeks.

'Hey, you've reached Quil. Sorry I'm not here. Leave a message.'

I felt somewhat comforted by hearing his voice on the answering machine, but it wasn't the same. He had become really busy; patrolling the grounds all the time. Vampire attacks were becoming more frequent; that was what I assumed.

I started watching the news more and noticed more people missing. I started to get nervous. I didn't want anything to happen to Quil, or the pack in general for that matter.

The last time I saw Quil was around five weeks ago. We planned on going out to Seattle to hang out, but every time we made plans, Quil would call on that day and cancel. He canceled about three times before we decided to not go to anymore and forget about the trip. After that, he hadn't even contacted me about it. I went to his house, and he was never there.

The pack no longer visited. Uncle Sam came home late, and when I asked what happened he would just sigh and say, "I can't talk about it, but don't worry."

I missed everyone.

"Yeah, it's me. Please call... Love you," I replied, growing slightly more depressed.

I knew Aunt Emily knew what was happening, but she didn't explain to me either. And Dmitri turned back into his annoying eight-year-old self again.

I needed my friends again. But I knew that I had other friends like Roy, Abby, Siera, and Hannah. And I hadn't hung out with them as much. But now since I was abandoned, I could hang out with them.

_What a selfish reason to start hanging out with them._

Only now did I realize how stupid I'd been acting towards them. I barely talked to them except when I needed help, advice, or someone to lay my problems on. I wanted to slap myself that I just realize this now. But they didn't even look mad or anything! They were always so nice to me! Did they realize?

_Of course they did. They just didn't want to say it to your face, smarty._

I immediately felt guilt deep in my gut. _I need to plan something with them_, I thought.

"Ugh! I'm so stupid!" I screamed in frustration. I slammed my head down on my desk and banged repeatedly.

"Having troubles?" I heard someone chuckle behind me.

I snapped my head in the voice's direction. I saw Embry leaning against my doorway. I smiled wide.

"Embry!" I got out of my chair and threw my arms around him. I felt his arms tighten around me.

"It's nice to see you again, kiddo. I was starting to miss having you at the house," he said. I felt him kiss the top of my head and give me one more squeeze before letting me go.

"I tried calling and I stopped by your house! Why didn't you ever call?" I asked, not understanding how that could be so hard.

Embry had a sad smile. "Claire, we're really busy. I can't explain to you, but we're trying hard not to jeopardize anyone. We don't exactly have time to call. And we're not home anymore. We mostly sleep in our forms." I started to feel bad. I nodded, understanding. _They're trying to protect everyone, of course._

"Well you're here anyway! Let's make the best of it!" I smiled, putting off any more questions that were running through my head.

I grabbed Embry's hand while we walked downstairs to the kitchen where everyone was. Except Quil and Paul.

I searched everywhere. But I couldn't see him.

"Hey, Claire," I heard Jordan say. I swung around and forced a smile.

It wasn't that I had a problem with Jordan, but my patience was running. I really just wanted to see Quil. "Hey, Jordan," I said. He opened his arms and I gave him a hug. I searched for Quil and Paul, but no such luck. I had a bad feeling that they didn't come.

"How are you, Claire? I've missed you so much. The pack has been really busy late-"

"Where's Quil?" I couldn't help but interrupt him.

He looked taken aback. _Well, gee, I wonder why, Claire. Maybe because he was trying to talk to you and all you could do was scream where Quil was! _

I closed my eyes, mentally slapping myself. "I'm sorry, Jordan. I didn't mean to interrupt, but can someone tell me where Quil is?" I said this a little too loudly.

Then, the pack, Dmitri (who started talking to Embry), and Aunt Emily went silent and stared at me.

"Well?" I probed. Then Uncle Sam stepped forward with a sad face.

"He isn't here, is he," I asked, disappointed. I should've known.

"He's patrolling. Along with Paul. We needed someone out there," explained Sam. The pack looked at me piteously. I hated it.

Then I felt anger burning through me. Did. He. Say. He. Needed. Someone. To. Patrol.?

"_What_?" I hissed.

Silence.

I continued. "Are you saying that you made Quil patrol when he had the chance to come see me?" I asked incredulously.

"Claire—"

"NO!" I interrupted. Sam shut up.

"I can't believe you would do that! You've SEEN how I've stayed up, hoping I could catch a little glimpse of him. You saw how I'd been acting this past MONTH when he hadn't even _called_ me! What's happening that's so important that you can't tell me what's going on?" I shouted. I would've been so embarrassed by my childish behavior if I weren't so angry.

"Claire," whispered Sam, almost inaudibly.

"What?" I snapped.

"He volunteered."

I was expecting him to say more, but he didn't. I looked at Jordan who looked down, moving his gaze away from mine. I was confused.

"What?" I asked again. I was growing more and more frustrated. I glanced at Embry who looked uncomfortable.

Sam continued patiently, which annoyed me. I wanted everyone to stop sounding so patronizing! I wasn't a kid! "Quil volunteered to patrol. I didn't force him into it. He wanted to do it."

I froze. What? Quil _chose_ to patrol? He _chose_ to not see me? But… why? Did he not want to see me? Did he not love me anymore? I felt my insides crash. He chose…

I felt tears in my eyes, but suppressed them from spilling over. The pack continued to stare at me. I composed myself.

My voice came out shaky as I tried not to break down. "Fine. I understand," I said calmly.

I reached for the bracelet on my wrist. Quil gave it to me when he asked me to be his girlfriend. It had a beautiful sapphire colored bird on a metal chain. I unlatched the hook and rested the bracelet onto the kitchen table. Once I laid it there, the pack started to look at each other worriedly. "Tell him he can start finding someone else to give that to," I added.

I walked towards the front door; grabbed my car keys and my winter jacket; and let the door slam shut behind me. I went to the garage and got into my Buggy. I reversed out of the driveway and got onto the road. I knew from the minute I got onto the road where I was going. The beach.

I didn't know exactly why, but the beach always calmed me down. Especially in the winter time.

When I arrived, it started to snow on the beach. Bu it was completely abandoned. _Perfect, _I thought. It was around seven so it was basically pitch black, but fortunately I had a flashflight in the glove compartment of my car.

I found my way on the beach to a log. I used part of my winter jacket to wipe the thin layer of snow that was on it. I sat down and listened to the waves wash up on shore.

I pulled my legs closer to my body and rested my chin on my knees. The sound of the ocean was so calming. It was cold, but I was used to those big, warm arms not being around me.

I sighed. So we weren't together. It wasn't going to work. And how was I supposed to know what was going on if he didn't want to talk to me? I couldn't keep pretending that I knew Quil loved me because I didn't. Not anymore. And I didn't want to be with someone who kept torturing me like this. I just wouldn't be able to deal with more.

I don't know how long I stayed at the beach, but I woke up to my cell phone vibrating in my coat pocket. I stared at the screen and saw the words 'Quil is calling'.

I froze and couldn't do anything for a second. Just stare at the screen. I got up from the log I sat on and answered my phone slowly.

"Quil?" I asked, holding my breath.

And it was him. Really him. The one I hadn't heard from for a month.

"Claire? Come home… Please," was all he said. He sounded anxious. He probably heard the story of what I said.

"Okay," was all I said and I hung up the phone.

I walked slowly on the way to my car. I knew that I was going to finally see him. I knew that seeing him was going to make me think differently. But I had made my decision, and I had to stick to it.


	9. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

Oh my God. I'm sooo sorry. It's been practically a year. A YEAR. I started another Quil and Claire story and people sent me reviews and PM's asking me if I could continue writing this story. I'm sorry to all that I haven't been writing on this one! But as of now, I will be continuing this story AND She & Him. Please check it out! Also, I need reviews. I won't continue if I don't at least get 5 reviews on this story. I mean, five reviews? You can do that for me, right? Anyway, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Love you all!

Erin

Chapter 9: Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (Stevie Wonder)

I was in the driveway and I saw Quil sitting on the front steps of the house. He had his sad face in his hands, his elbows leaning on his knees. I shut my car door and Quil's head shifted upwards.

"Claire," he smiled as he got up and walked over to me with his arms held out wide.

I shook my head and backed away from him. His face fell. He glanced off to the side nervously.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

I just kept shaking my head. "You're kidding me, right?"

Quil opened his mouth but quickly closed it.

"Why don't you want to talk to me anymore? I waited and I _thought _that you were just busy protecting La Push and doing other related things that no one would tell me about. I dealt with it. I was patient and tolerant, but then I see Embry and not you. Sam said that you volunteered to stay on patrol?" I was very close to screeching and Quil flinched at my sudden screaming.

"I didn't want to see you yell at me. I didn't want to see you angry. Like this," he complained.

I clenched my hands into fists and Quil noticed. I was seething, ready to rip his head off.

"And for some reason you thought it would be better if you just prolonged the conversation because you didn't want to get 'yelled at'. Oh come on, Quil!" Was he seriously making up stupid excuses like this? "I thought that you _wanted _to see me! But _I'm sorry _that I'm so scary when I yell at you. You obviously don't deserve it!" I babbled angrily. I was _so pissed_.

Quil looked ready to slap himself. _Serves him right, _I thought.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I'm really sorry. I just didn't want to put you through this..." He hung his head.

"Quil, you're stupid," I said plainly, but I wasn't as angry anymore.

Quil nodded. "I know."

I walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me off my feet. His arms wrapped around my waist and he dug his face into my shoulder.

"Quil, it's not fair to just leave me hanging like that. You can't just not talk to me and then continue to not talk to me because you're scared I will yell at you and be unhappy. I promise you, I _will_ yell at you if you ignore me again." My voice was muffled into his shoulder. I breathed in his scent and I started to feel back at home. "I hate you so much sometimes," I sighed.

Quil just chuckled and gently kissed me on the lips. I leaned in closer, missing his warm lips on mine. I smiled.

Quil broke the kiss with a smile on his face. "But you love me," he added.

* * *

"Claire! CCCLLLAAAIIIRRREEE!" I heard someone shouting right into my ear.

"Ahhhhh!" I looked around me and saw Dmitri right there in my face. "What is wrong with you?"

I heard a burst of laughter behind my door and Dmitri was giggling hysterically. I squinted my eyes at my alarm clock. It was five in the morning!

"Ugh, I'm going to kill you guys!" I said as I jumped out of my bed and headed over to the door, ripping it open. I saw Embry, Seth, Jordan, Paul, and Jared all laughing at me. I scowled at them.

"Merry Christmas, Claire!" They all shouted in unison.

Dmitri ran past me into the hallway to go down the stairs. "It's present time!"

I shut the door in their faces as I screamed, "I'm going back to bed!"

I was ready to lie down and go back to sleep for a bit until the door slammed open and the boys walked in and picked me up. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe as they brought me down the stairs into the living room. I was surprised to see everyone there. Kim with her son, Toby. Collin and Brady brought their imprints Lauren and Allison. Rachel with her daughter Chloe, and Rebecca with her husband, John. Jacob brought Nessie, who I hadn't seen in forever. I wasn't expecting them all to be here already at five in the morning, but they were all awake and excited. Toby and Chloe were screaming excitedly with Dmitri about opening presents.

Everyone stopped their conversations to see me being carried over to them. Kim, Rachel and Rebecca laughed.

"Well, I'm certainly glad that I don't have to deal with them anymore. Seems like you're the new toy to play with, Claire," teased Kim. I stuck out my tongue at her.

I smacked at Seth. "Guys, put me down. I need to see Nessie!"

Nessie smiled happily when she saw me. Seth put me down and I ran over to give her a hug. Nessie immediately got off Jake's lap to embrace me.

"Claire! I've missed you!" She screamed happily. "You get prettier and prettier every time I see you," she whispered into my ear. I blushed happily.

"Thanks, you too." I squeezed her tighter. "Merry Christmas."

Nessie pulled back to look at me and I smiled. She was so beautiful. Her glowing, pale skin. Her long brown curls. Jake was a lucky man.

"Well, it's great that you guys are meeting and everything, but now it's my turn," I heard a familiar voice say behind me. I smiled.

I turned around to see Quil and wrapped my arms around his neck. I gave him a light kiss on the lips as I whispered, "Merry Christmas."

He smiled, kissing me again. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

Today was a great day. It finally snowed and everyone was in the living room, comfortably gathered around the fire. Everyone full from the feast. The kids were all playing with their new toys and presents, while the couples cuddled. I was on Quil's lap, my head on his shoulder as Quil rubbed small patterns on my arm and kissed my forehead occasionally. Jazz was playing in the background.

I fingered my new ring. I waited to open Quil's present until the end. He gave me back the promise bracelet that I had left on the table when I stormed out. But, on top of that I noticed a beautiful ring at the bottom of the box. There were two rows of metal that were separated but connected back together at the bottom of the ring. The rows were completely covered in diamonds and two diamond flowers were placed on to finish the touch. It was absolutely gorgeous.

_"Quil! It's beautiful!" I screeched putting it on my ring finger. _

_ Quil smiled, definitely pleased. "I'm glad that you enjoy it."_

_ I gave him a long kiss on his lips and then a quick one, and another, and another. I couldn't seem to stop. I loved him so much. "I love you."_

_ "I love you, too, Claire. So much."_

I was thinking about that moment that happened just hours before, until I heard Emily get up.

"Everyone. Sam and I have some news that we would all like to share with you," she stated.

Everyone quickly stopped their side conversations to listen to what Emily wanted to say. She was gleaming, absolutely happy. I wondered what was so exciting.

"Well, you all know that Sam and I have been trying to have a baby for a while. Well, it finally worked!" Kim and Rachel shrieked as they got up to hug Emily.

I smiled widely. All this time, Emily had to take care of Dmitri and I, which probably got in the way of Emily and Sam wanting to have kids. I was so happy that she was finally able to start her own life again. I would soon be off to college after one more semester of high school.

I also had good news, but I was afraid to share it. I applied to the University of Washington about two weeks ago and I had a pretty strong chance of making it. I hadn't been able to discuss college with Quil: I was afraid that he wouldn't approve. I also applied to some other colleges that were in Arizona and southern California. I wanted to end up in Seattle so I could stay close to Quil, but if I ended up going to Arizona, I didn't want Quil to get angry. I was waiting for a good time to tell him, and I considered now, but nothing was set in stone, so I decided against it.

I got up from Quil's lap to give Emily a hug. "Congratulations," I whispered in her ear before I kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"You're not mad?" Emily asked, surprised.

I laughed. "What? Of course not!" I squeezed her in my arms.

She smiled back. "I just thought... that maybe you wouldn't be pleased to have to live with an annoying, screeching baby... I don't know."

I shook my head. "Emily, I honestly think you're crazy sometimes..."

She laughed. "Girl, I _know _that I'm crazy." She hugged me once more as she whispered, "I'm so relieved you're not mad."

I gave her an incredulous look and she smirked.

As everyone else came to pat Sam on the back and give Emily congratulatory hugs, Embry gathered everyone around to pick teams for a snowball fight.

"Girls versus boys!" screamed Rachel and Kim simultaneously.

"Oh, you're so on," replied Seth.

"We get a head start," announced Kim. "All right, girls. Meeting outside. We have to plan for the attack." I laughed.

Nessie, Lauren, Allison, Rachel, Leah, Rebecca, Emily, Kim, and I got our gear on and headed outside. We planned to hide out in the forest and prepare snowballs ahead of time. We finished when we heard the boys coming out the back door, Embry screaming, "Ready or not, here we come!"

Of course, they were all in t-shirts, not caring about the cold. I looked at Kim next to me and nodded. She sent down the nod to everyone else. We were ready to attack. We all picked up several snowballs and began throwing.

Mine hit Embry square in the chest. I heard him scream, "Shit!" In this snowball fight, if you got hit, you were out. I laughed, showing my face and smirking at him. He gasped and pointed at me. "You! Everyone get after Claire!"

My smirk fell off my face as Seth, Quil, Paul, Jared, Sam, Brady, Collin, Jake, and John found me and were slowly getting closer to me, evil smirks on their faces. Crap.

I took off running into the forest as fast as I could. I heard some shrieks as the girls got some of the guys. As I ran into the forest, I tried to find somewhere to hide. I found a tree that I tried to climb, but someone was too fast and caught my foot.

"No!" I giggled. "Let go!"

I was brought down the tree and as I turned around I saw Quil was the only one who was left. I was breathing heavily from my running, and Quil was too. His shoulders moved up and down as he pushed me up against the tree. I was stuck. Unless...

"Got you," Quil smirked and I pretended to look upset.

"I was so close." I pulled my face closer to his and put my lips to ear. "I guess you're just better than I am," I whispered sexily in his ear. Quil's breath sharpened and I knew my plan was working.

Quil started to shuffle nervously as I started to kiss his ear and then his neck. I pulled him closer to me as Quil tried hard not to give in.

"Don't you want me?" I pouted. I continued to kiss his neck. Quil's eyes closed.

"Claire," Quil moaned.

"Got you." I took the snowball that I was keeping behind me and threw it right into his face.

Quil was so shocked and he let go of me and I ran to the edge of the forest to see that all the guys were hit. "We won!" I shrieked. "Who's your girl!"

All the girls gathered around to hug me. We screamed, happy with our victory. Quil came back and looked at me. I stuck my tongue out. He had an annoyed look on his face.

"That was not cool, Claire. Not cool at all."

All the girls laughed as they took their men back inside for some hot chocolate. I stayed outside with Quil. Before I had the chance to apologize, Quil tackled me to the ground. I shrieked.

"It's time for payback," he smirked.

I looked up at him as he kissed me. His warm lips felt so good against my cold ones. He opened my mouth and slowly flicked his tongue inside. He tasted so good. I moaned.

Before I knew it, Quil pulled away and threw a snowball in my face. "Merry Christmas, Claire," he smirked as he got up. I heard cheering as I looked back to see that everyone watched Quil gain his sweet revenge. I couldn't help but chuckle.


End file.
